Commercial Energy Storage

NRI’s Commercial Energy Storage Approach

The team at NRI will design an energy storage solution that meets your businesses specific needs. We understand that each client we deal with has a unique set of load characteristics and/or financial goals they wish to achieve with energy storage. Our dedicated and experienced staff will work with you to model the system to achieve these goals in the most cost effective manner. The significant knowledge base our engineers operate from allows us to bring reliable solutions to you at an affordable price.Whether you are focused on demand charge reduction, seeking hours of reliable backup power for mission-critical applications, or simply wish to arbitrage energy prices in your region our team has the tested experience to assist you.

Benefits of NRI Energy Storage Systems

ENERGY ARBITRAGE

Energy Arbitrage takes advantage of either predetermined time of day price fluctuations or signal indicated (from SCADA data) price fluctuations to charge and discharge the BESS/DES at a specific rate for a specific amount of time. Arbitrage is the most common mode of operation activated on the NRI energy storage system, generally in combination with additional benefits.

PEAK SHAVING / LOAD LEVELING

Peak shaving charges and discharges the BESS/DES based upon a specific load profile provided by the end-user and is commonly used in conjunction with other benefits such as arbitrage to achieve maximum financial gains. This is commonly used for applications where end-users are seeking to reduce demand charges due to load spikes.

POWER QUALITY

NRI systems are designed to respond with power quality control allowing the BESS/DES to charge and discharge based upon the frequency regulation and voltage support needs of the grid. This is generally activated on either a time of day basis or through signaling (SCADA). Specific kVAr or power factor may be input in order to achieve desired reactive power levels. Other advantages of power quality include the ability to manage frequency and voltage regulation.

SCHEDULED (OR ON DEMAND) LOAD REDUCTION

Load Reduction is designed to deploy the maximum amount of energy into the grid during specific key time-frames which are generally associated with the monthly transmission peaks and/or annual capacity peak for the utility, or the ISO. Used as a method to reduce the utility’s overall load within the ISO during a specified period, load reduction involves critical forecasting on the utility’s part in conjunction with signaled response from the NRI unit. With load reduction a complete discharge is generally configured in the 2-3 hour time-frame.

ISLANDING OR MICROGRID CAPABILITIES

When BESS/DES units are deployed in conjunction with renewable resources, or when a utility wishes to have the energy storage capable of a complete disconnection from the grid in order to provide backup power to a specific location as a result of grid failure, the islanding function is often configured. In an island function, the energy storage unit will charge utilizing any locally generated power (PV / diesel generator) and will discharge to a specific predetermined load.

RESERVE POWER

In Reserve Mode, the BESS/DES will automatically power the pre-determined load if for any reason there is a lack of power from the grid. This is generally a selected priority setting for the BESS/DES allowing the unit to function in another Mode of Operation so long as there is an active grid connection. In the event of a grid failure, the BESS/DES would switch modes to power only its assigned load, IE – Emergency operations center.

NET METERING

When an energy storage system is configured with a renewable generation source and if the battery bank is fully charged, the system will route all excess power back to the grid.

TIME OF DAY ROUTING

Time of day routing allows the energy storage system to perform a series of pre-determined functions at a specific time each day. This could include any of the operation benefits listed above.

GENERATOR OPERATION

In emergency situations, systems equipped with a generator may switch autonomously to generator mode of operation. This may be enabled either through a timed delay, a specific depth of discharge (DoD) of the battery, or based upon a specific load profile once the energy storage system has become isolated from the grid.

MANUAL OPERATION

Manual operation allows the end-user or NRI to manually control the operation of the system through a secure HMI interface at the location or through a secure web portal (if desired).

TESTING & DIAGNOSTICS

Testing and Diagnostics allows NRI or system operators the ability to test various monitoring systems of the BESS/DES including signaling and communication systems.

HIVE MODE (FLEET MANAGEMENT SYSTEM)

Hive mode allows multiple storage devices across the grid to simultaneously support a variety of functions at once.